Local jazz fans will have a full agenda this weekend as the Penn State chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators hosts its 2002 Jazz Festival.

This year's festival marks the third year of this annual event at University Park. Activities on schedule include a high school jazz band competition, several group performances and master class information sessions featuring special guest musicians.

These special guests, including pianist and arranger/composer Frank Mantooth, drummer Marko Marcinko, and saxophonist Mike Tomaro, will perform tonight in a free all-star concert. The show will take place in the HUB's Alumni Hall at 10 p.m.

2002 Jazz Festival Today Daytime Jazz Masterclasses Bob Mintzer, Saxophone, 2:30 p.m. George Rabbai, Trumpet, 2:30 p.m. Jim Rupp, Drums, 2:30 p.m. Steve Brown, Guitar, 2:30 p.m. Evening Performance Frank Mantooth, Marko Marcinko, Mike Tomaro, 10 p.m. in HUB Alumni Hall. Tomorrow Daytime Activities High School Bands perform from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Recital Hall, Music Building I. Adjudication continues from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Trumpet, trombone, saxophone and rhythm masterclasses at 11 a.m. in Music Building I. Visit instrument displays by local vendors with smaller items for sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening Activities Improvisation Masterclass with Bob Mintzer, Jim Rupp, George Rabbai and Steve Brown from 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. Awards presentation at 8 p.m. Penn State's Centre Dimensions with Bob Mintzer, Jim Rupp, George Rabbai and Steve Brown at 8:30 p.m. in Recital Hall, Music Building I.

Each performer was selected on the basis of his instrument, in order to create a fair representation of a jazz band for the students.

"We always try to get one person for each section," said Marisa Trembler, publicist for the Penn State IAJE.

Mantooth, Tomaro and Marcinko all have experience in the jazz scene and have been performing for many years. The three musicians are part of a large group of professional jazz players that frequently attend similar festivals to act as adjudicators, not only judging but also working with student groups and sharing their knowledge.

As both a performer and composer, Mantooth has been an active jazz name since the early '70s. He has performed with numerous big bands and has released five of his own albums, most recently 1999's Miracle.

"He's a creative writer who likes to use contemporary harmonic textures and different musical styles," said Rick Hirsch, adjunct professor of music, in an e-mail.

Mantooth has also demonstrated his versatility as a musician, most notably through his interest in orchestral work. He is currently working on his next studio album, which is entirely orchestral and features 12 female vocalists.

Mantooth says that he is, however, able to tackle this unique area by using his roots and looking at it through a jazz perspective.

"I approach orchestration the same way as jazz band material," said Mantooth, "even though there are different people and some different parameters."

Marcinko has built a name for himself as well, working with famous jazz trumpet player and bandleader Maynard Ferguson. He presently has a steady job as the drummer for saxophonist Dave Liebman's band.

Tomaro is also a well-respected name in the music world. He has released several solo albums and worked as part of many big bands. Currently, he works as a music professor at Duquesne University.

Despite the busy schedules created by teaching positions, steady gigs and the production of new albums (Mantooth says he is currently "knee deep" in working on his latest record), these musicians, like many others, find themselves constantly participating in educational jazz programs such as the IAJE festival.

Mantooth explained that he travels nearly every weekend to some college to participate in a comparable event. Often, these musicians are not even informed beforehand of the other players they will be performing with and must adapt at each new show. After some time, however, this adjustment has become fairly easy for many of these professionals.

"It's easy to adjust to," said Mantooth. "It's become sort of a little clique of about 200 to 300 players you usually see at these things."

The weekend-long festival also includes several educational events as well.

Mantooth and Tomaro will hold a master class at 2:30 p.m. today that is open to the public and held in the Music Buildings.

There will also be an open rehearsal from 3:30 to 5 p.m. featuring Penn State jazz band Centre Dimensions and the guest musicians.

The festival continues tomorrow, as the guests judge five high school bands as part of a competition in Esber Recital Hall in Music Building I from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The featured high schools include Ridley Park, Saucon Valley, Reading, Penns Valley and Punxsutawney.

The guest adjudicators will also work with the bands to inform them of how they were judged and what they can do to improve their sound.

This competition will be followed by another master class, which will include trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, another experienced musician who has performed with famous players such as Wynton Marsalis.

Jazz fans may also want to attend concerts by two of Penn State's biggest jazz bands tomorrow, which will conclude the festival.

Under the direction of Hirsch, Inner Dimensions will perform at 4:30 p.m. in Esber Recital Hall, followed by Centre Dimensions under the direction of Dan Yoder with final performances from the noted guests.

Overall, the performers and organizers hope that the weekend will be both educational and entertaining. Mantooth himself sees these opportunities not only as a chance to perform but also to be a productive musician.

"That's one of the things that keeps me doing these festivals," he said. "I enjoy the performance aspect because, you know, I like to play, but if I can work with a band for a half hour and leave them improved, it's worth it."